Think....Before You Reorganize

As a leader, what thinking and processes do you use before reorganizing?

Many leaders love to reorganize, but few employees like being reorganized. Structural changes provoke anxiety and confusion. Before you decide to redraw the org chart of your school or organisation, consider these three things:

• What problem are you trying to solve? Are you trying to focus more on those you serve? Do you want to reduce costs or make better use of resources? Has structure become overly complex? There might be good reasons, but before you leap into a reorganization, be clear on the goal.
• Is reorganization the only solution? Reorganization might solve many problems but it's rarely the only solution. Consider alternatives first, especially ones that entail less risk on impact on those involved.
• Seek input from those affected.  Actively - and systematically - seek input from everyone who might be affected or impacted by the reorganization.  Seeking input demonstrates your desire to lead an effective school/organization.  But more importantly, it solicits the best thinking available to you.

Adapted from "Reorganizing? Think Again" by Ron Ashkenas.

Say Less and Convey More

As a leader, did you keep your communications concise and focused on your key messages?

When you're giving a presentation and nervousness kicks in, it's tough to be brief. But, your audience expects you to state your conclusion and stand behind it, not ramble on aimlessly. You can only do that if you zero in on the purpose. When you prepare for your talk, work backwards. Before you put anything down on paper, know the key messages you want your audience to remember. Ask yourself: If my presentation were 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes, what would I say? Force yourself to summarize your key points. Once you've done that, think through what other information you'll need to support that point and build your presentation from there.  Remember.....less is more.


Adapted from "In Presentations, Learn to Say Less" by Ron Ashkenas.

Enough Complaining! Number 1

As a leader, how do you reduce the complaining among staff members?

In the workplace, we hope that everyone behaves in an adult manner.  Right? Then why do individual staff members - or even teams - still whine sometimes?  It's part of the human condition to complain, but it doesn't have to derail your group. When people on your team get frustrated and need a sympathetic ear, do the following:

• Insist on personal accountability. Don't allow people to present a problem without attempting to bring forward a solution or two. Advise them to do what they think is necessary to achieve results.
• Encourage positivity. If the whining is about fellow members of staff, encourage the group to work with each other to better understand the nature of the problem, and then create a joint solution. Remind them that most people aren't intentionally difficult.
• Support them in solving the issue.  Some members of staff may need help in how to approach a colleague with whom they have difficulty.  Support your staff member in building the skills to approach the troublesome colleague in a productive manner. 

Adapted from "The No Whining Rule for Managers" by Ron Ashkenas.

How do you plan for unintended outcomes?

As a leader, how do you plan for unintended outcomes? Unintended consequences are common in school/organizations. Well-meaning leaders often implement new policies or practices only to find that in addition to what they envisioned, they've also created problems. You can't predict the future, but you can help mitigate the negative with these two steps: Plan ahead as much as you can. Gather the people the change will impact and plan to see what might happen, keeping in mind that there will always be something that surprises you later. Test the waters. Conduct short, focused experiments to see how various parties will react, and use the results to adjust your plan. You can't eliminate all negative possibilities but you can get ready to deal with them. Adapted from "Be Prepared for What You Don't See Coming" by Ron Ashkenas.

Staff Meetings

As a leader, are all your meetings purposeful?  If not, why do you have them?

Recurring meetings are a drag. These regular updates exist for a reason, but they are often boring and even unproductive. Here are three ways you can freshen up your staff meetings:

• Review the meeting's purpose. People may show up just because it's on their calendar. Remind them why the meeting exists and ask if it still serves a purpose.
• Solicit agenda items in advance. Give attendees the chance to bring up issues that are of interest to them.
• Cancel if there is no reason to meet. No agenda items? Cancel. People will respect that you aren't wasting their time and will show up engaged when there is work to be done and value in meeting.

Adapted from Guide to Making Every Meeting Matter by Ron Ashkenas, Martha Craumer, Anthony K. Tjan, Gina Trapani, David Silverman, Jane Heifetz, June Delano, Jodi Glickman, Melissa Raffoni

The Questions Every Leader Should Ask

As a leader, are you asking questions that can bring about improvement?

Asking the right questions is an essential skill of any leader. Yet many fail to inquire enough. Here are three types of questions you should be asking:

• Questions about yourself. Good leaders ask themselves and others about what they could do better. Ask in a way that invites constructive, candid responses and allows those to respond to feel safe about responding.
• Questions about plans and projects. These should both advance the work and develop the people. Tough and direct questions are OK, as long as they are in the interest of progress.  Better yet, ask questions that inquire and stimulate thinking.  For example, 'What was it about this approach that seemed the best approach?' ......or......'What might be some ways we could measure our results?'  When you ask a 'What might....' or 'How might...' question, you are opening up thinking.  Try it and see what happens.
• Questions about the organization. Look for ways that the organization can function more effectively by questioning practices, processes, and structures. Ask: Why do we do things this way? Is there a better approach?  You need to ask yourself these questions first.  In the right setting, these are great questions to ask your staff....but ask them when people can respond as groups...until the culture exists where staff understand that you really want to know what works best and you're not testing them.

Adapted from "The Art of Asking Questions" by Ron Ashkenas.

Encourage Pushback

As a leader, do you encourage ‘pushback’ from your staff?  Deference to authority is deeply engrained in most of us. As a leader you need to resist this tendency in your staff. If people automatically defer to your judgment, you may miss out on valuable thinking and critical feedback. Try to make it easy for people to speak up, and remember to actively ask for their opinions. When talking about current or future work, give some initial thoughts, but then ask for help fleshing out ideas. Recognize people who speak up and thank those who challenge your thinking. Most importantly, try not to react immediately if you start to feel threatened, or you risk shutting down the discussion.  This takes courage and confidence but if you want great results and you want to build capacity in your staff, this becomes an essential part of your leadership toolkit. Adapted from "The Dangers of Deference" by Ron Ashkenas.